FOURTH GRADE NEWS
October 22, 2015
Welcome to Fourth Grade
Language Arts
Next week, students will be reading a Time For Kids article titled, "Making a Splash." This is an expository article that presents facts and information. Students will need to pay attention to text features, such as subheadings, photos, and captions. They will also summarize the main idea and supporting details of the article. Students will learn to plan a narrative, as well as analyze interesting beginnings. Consonant clusters, or three-letter blends found at the beginning of the word will be our spelling pattern for the week.
Math
Our math test is Monday, October 26th. It will cover Topics 3 & 4. Please use the Practice Test pages 217-220 and 269-270 to help your child prepare for the test.
During the remainder of the week, students will use basic facts and place-value patterns to mentally multiply a two-digit number by a multiple of 10 or 100. We will also use rounding and compatible numbers to estimate solutions involving whole numbers. Estimation, or mental math is an important part of understanding the reasonableness of a solution to a problem.
Science and Social Studies
The next few weeks we are going to switch gears and embark on a fascinating journey to learn about Texas history. Our students are going to be exposed to cultural borrowing and how geography affected human culture. They will also learn about the first Texans and the American Indians that settled here, and delve deeper by creating a tribal region research project.
From the Teachers
- The 2015 Fall Book Fair is is scheduled for November 4-13. See the flyer below or the link to find out more information. http://bookfairs.scholastic.com/homepage/skaggs
- Red Ribbon Week is October 26th-30th. This is a fun-filled week celebrating that we are drug free. Each day students will have an opportunity to dress for the theme of the day. Please check out the link to the Fourth Grade website to see what each day brings.https://sites.google.com/a/pisd.edu/fabulous-fourth-grade-friends/
- Field Day is October 30th. If you would like to volunteer for this fun-filled day, please sign up on the following link. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/14MRZyOOScehWn-iUT_n-djoZTOP3JNWutNJAXFoGFdY/edit#gid=0
- Reflections are due October 30th. The Reflections program recognizes students at the Local, Council/Region, State and National PTA levels. At each level, all entries are judged on interpretation of the theme, creativity and artistic merit. For more information, please see the following link: http://www.txpta.org/programs/reflections/participate/
- Skaggs is hosting another parenting workshop on November 9th. For more information see our parent website link https://sites.google.com/a/pisd.edu/fabulous-fourth-grade-friends/https://sites.google.com/a/pisd.edu/fabulous-fourth-grade-friends/
- Candy Drive: Please see our parent site for more information. https://sites.google.com/a/pisd.edu/fabulous-fourth-grade-friends/
- Be a star for our students and write a check to our PTA. See the information below regarding the Skaggs PTA Check Writing Campaign.
- Reading Logs: Skaggs has a new reading program that we would love to encourage your children to participate in. With this reading program, your child will read at home and record the number of minutes that he or she has read each night. At the end of the week, your child can record the number of minutes read for the week on the following web site: http://tinyurl.com/SkaggsReadingLog
- We would like to encourage your child to bring their electronic device. Electronic devices are being used in music and art.
- A fourth grade website just for parents! You will find links, important information, and much more. https://sites.google.com/a/pisd.edu/fabulous-fourth-grade-friends/
Important Dates
- 10/26 Unit 3 & 4 Math Test
- 10/26-10/30 Red Ribbon Week
- 10/30 Reflections due
- 10/30 Field Day - Bring a sack lunch.
- 11/4-11/13 Fall Book Fair